Historically, the most common form of attaching cable and electrical metal tubing (EMT) to electrical junction boxes was by means of an interior-threaded lock nut, which is screwed onto the exterior-threaded electrical fitting that extends into the junction box.
Recently, snap fitting connectors have become popular as a means of connecting cables to electrical junction boxes. One such type of snap fitting is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,709,280 (hereinafter the '280 patent), filed Jan. 17, 2002 and incorporated herein by reference. The snap fitting improved the functionality of the quick connect fitting by providing a snap ring with a grounding tang of a novel design that provided a tighter fit between the quick connect fitting and the junction box or panel that it connected to. The snap fitting of the '280 patent therefore improved the electrical continuity and lowered the millivolt drop between the fitting, the cable, and the junction box.
An improved snap engagement fitting was disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/256,641 (hereinafter Ser. No. 10/256,641), filed Sep. 27, 2002 and incorporated herein by reference. The fitting of Ser. No. 10/256,641 improved the continuity of the snap engagement fitting by providing a snap ring including a locking tang lanced out of the grounding tang. By lancing the locking tang out of the grounding tang, a greater portion of the outer periphery of the snap ring is available for forming the grounding tang. The larger grounding tangs provide more contact between the junction box and the snap ring thereby providing improved electrical continuity and a lower millivolt drop between the fitting, the cable, and the junction box.
Although the snap engagement fittings of the '280 patent and Ser. No. 10/256,641 vastly improved the electrical continuity of snap engagement fittings constructed of a tubular body and a snap ring, the disclosures required a flange on the tubular body which added to the weight and cost of production of the tubular body. Accordingly, the present invention provides a snap engagement electrical fitting with a flangeless tubular body, which reduces the complexity of the tubular body and makes it easier to produce and therefore lowers the cost of production of the fitting.
These and other advantages will become apparent by reading the attached specification and claims in conjunction with reference to the attached drawings.